Method of operating electric railways



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

` E. E. RIES.

METHOD 0F OPERATING ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. No. 417,338.

Patented Dec. 17., 1889.

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VIVLFLVL WITNESS/:"8

JQMM/ (No Model.) s sheets-sheet 3.

E. E. RIBS. METHOD 0E OPERATING ELECTRIC EAILWAYS. No. 417,338. Patented Deo. 17, 1889.

l- IE 1V N, PETERS, PlmioLilhngmpher. Wnfnmglnn. D. C.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

ELIAS E. RIES, OE BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGN OR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RIES t HENDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

UMETHOD OF OPERATING ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,338, dated December 1'7, 1889.

r Application led Tune 22, 1886. Serial No. 205,941. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIAS E. RIEs, of the city of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Electric Railways, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to certain improvements in electric railways of that class in which the propelling-current is conveyed to the motors or cars by means of electrical conductors extending along the line of the railway; and its object is to provide an economical, efticient, and practical system for the more thorough and effective utilization of electricity in the operation of such railways.

In explanation of the fundamental principle of my invention I will designate the same as one of the many varieties and forms of what I term a combination system, which embraces, essentially, the idea of providing electrically-propelled vehicles with storagebatteries, which latter derive current from line-conductors and, under certain conditions, co-operate with and re-enforce the said linecurrent. Other forms of this combination system constitute the subjectmatter of several concurrent applications, and therefore they will not be further dwelt upon herein.

In the present case the secondary battery is charged not by a portion of the mainline current, but by the action of the motor itself when the car is descending a grade or when its motion is about to be arrested, at which times the motor by this invention acts as a generator and stores up energy in the secondary battery, which is given out again to assist the main-line current in propelling the car when it is ascending a grade. Furthermore, provision is made whereby the motion of the car can be arrested .in any desired space of time by the same means, so

that, if desired, other braking devices may be entirely dispensed with.

My invention is equally applicable to electric railways in which the cars are run singly, as on street or surface railways, or in trains, as they are generally run on elevated and other railways. It is also applicable to electric cars which depend altogether upon accumulators for their propelling-current.

Ileretofore it has been necessary in all railway systems, whether operated by electricity or any other motive power, to provide sufficient power not only to propel the cars or trains of cars over the level portions of the railway at the desired rate of speed, but also to overcome their inertia in starting and to surmount the various gradients that present themselves. It is well known that the amount of power expended in starting a train and bringing it to full speed is greatly in excess of that required to maintain it under headway when once in full motion, and also that a similar and oftentimes much larger addition to the normal propelling-power is required to ascend ordinary grades, such as are met with on nearly all railways. On the other hand, it is also known that the additional power so expended in moving a train is stored up in the train itself in the form of energy, which manifests itself as momentum when the propelling-power is cnt off on level grades, and in the form of accelerated motion on downgradcs. The amount of this energy available for useful work is exactly equivalent to that originally expended in bringing the train under headway and in lifting it to the height at which it begins to fall less the loss due to friction and conversion, which is, or need be, comparatively small. This useful en ergy, however, is, in the the majority of cases, not only entirely wasted, but an additional less is actually occasioned in opposing or retarding the motion of the train due to such energy by the further application of power to operate the brake ap-v paratus whenever it becomes necessary to stop the train or to reduce its speed on a descending grade, and thus not only wasting the original energy stored up in the train, but checking or neutralizing it by the expenditure of additional power and at the expense of the car-wheels and brake apparatus. By means of the present invention this energy of the train is automatically transformed into electrical energy, which is stored in secondary batteries or aecumulators, as before mentioned, and is utilized at the proper time IOO to give back its energy to the train when it is most required, by assisting the main propelling-powerin overcoming the inertia of the train and in ascending the grades. In this manner a line of railway having any number of grades may be operated with considerable more economy and less waste of power than a perfectly-level road of the same length and workin g conditions could be under the systems at present in use, and the amount of power required to operate the road would be but slightly in excess of that required to keep the cars or trains in motion on a level, this slight amount-being added to compensate for the natural loss due to convert-in g the mechanical energy of the train into electrical energy, and vice versa. Besides utilizing the energy of the car or train for charging a secondary battery, means are provided for regulating the charging process and at the saine time enabling the train to be brought to a stop in any desired space of time without the employment of special brake devices, and also for utilizing a portion of' the stored energy for lighting the train by electricity, and for other purposes.

In the organization of apparatus hereinafter described the various processes of charging and discharging, cc., are perforn'ied automatically, but of course any other arrangement may be employed, if preferred, without departing' from the spirit of this invention. Neither do I limit myself to the particular forms of automatic switching devices shown, as there are other ways of attaining the desired result, some of which will be referred to hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I is a side elevation, partly in section, of an underground conduit and a car provided with current-collectors, electro-dynamic motor secondary battery, and switching devices arranged in accordance with my present invention. Fig. II is a plan view of the car shown in Fig. I, taken on lines /g/ q/ and ,2' .2', respectively, with a portion of the flooring broken away. Fig. III is a diagram view illustrating the electrical connections and the arrangement of circuits and switches employed, and showing one form of automatic' switching' apparatus for changing the circuits according to the inclination of the car. Fig. IV is a detail view of a portion of the switchingapparatus shown in Fig. III, with its terminal plates subdivided.

Fig'. V is a modified form of automatic switching and regulating apparatus. Fig. YI is a modification showing a diiterent form ot gravity-switch. Fig. VII is a detail view of a supplemental switch and its connections for connecting the storage-battery in the line-circuit independently of the motor-switches. Fig. VIII is a detail view showing the pivoted pin s.

It has already been proposed (sce Patent No. `318,668, May 26, 1885) to employ the energy of a moving train on an electric railway for braking the train by converting' the motor into a generator for the time being, and

also for supplying the line-conductors with tion of the train and at the same time send a portion of the generated current to the line. This plan, however, while it may serve the purpose of b raking the train, has certain disadvantages which it is part of the object of the present invention to overcome. These disadvantag'es arise from the fact that a large portion of the energy of the moving train is consumed in overcoming the direct and presumably-constant electro-motive force of the line before any useful current can be gained or the progress of the train retarded; second, the counter electro-motive force developed by the motor or motors of the moving train must first counteract or neutralize the directline current, and therefore diminish, for the time being, instead of increasing the supply of current iiowing to other motors from the generating station or stations; third, whatever current is gained by the line would be distributed over its entire length and divided between all the motors instead of being' directly applied to the particular motor that may at that moment most require it. Several other objections of a similar nature might be cited, but the examples given will suflice. According to my present invention these obj ections are removed, as will hereinafter more fully appear, by interrupting the connection between the line-conductors and the motor and closing that between the motor and secondary battery when the said motor is acting' as a generator, and by means of certain other features, which will shortly be described.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied to an ordinary street or passengercar, whose propelliiig-current is derived from conductors carried in an underground conduit.

C is the conduit; M, the motor; B, the battery, and S the switching' devices.

The conduit and the current-collect-ing devices illustrated in the present drawings are substantially the same as those shown in my previous application for Letters Patent, tiled January 25, 1886, Serial No. 189,631, to which reference should be had 'for a complete description. In the present instance the guidebrackets f f', between which the bar carrying the current-collecting devices enters the conduit-slot, are secured to a projecting portion f of the frame F, directly under the center of the driving-axle a.

The motor M, which is of the reversible type, is supported at one end from the cal'- body by means ot' rubber springs or cushions c c, and at its other extremity is firmly secured to a frame F, which is pivoted to the driving-axle a, as shown, and which is also IOO ITO

provided with bearings l) l), through which the shaft of the armature A extends. At each end of the armature-shaft is keyed a pinion g, engaging with corresponding` gear- Wheels G, Secured to the driving-axle (t in such a manner that this axle may either revolve or be revolved by the armature A when the car is in motion.

It will be seen that when the motor M is connected as just described its operation is not affected by the motion of the car-body upon its springs, as the center of the armature-shaft remains constantly at a fixed distance from the center of the driving-axle, regardless of any vibration or swaying motion of the car itself.

The secondary battery B is preferably divided into two sections and placed under the seats at either side of the car. As the battery required for the purpose of this invention is quite small in comparison with that usually employed for electric cars, it can be very readily accommodated in the manner shown, and its weight will just serve to properly ballast the car and give it the needed traction. Moreover, as the battery is charged by the motor itself, it will be evident that it need not be removed for this purpose, and if at any time thepotent-ial of the battery should fall below its average to such an extent that the motor is unable to supply the deficiency during thev usual charging intervals, as hereinafter more fully eXplained,it can be readily brought up to the required standard or depth of charge by connecting it with the line-conductors during such times when the motor does not require the current, or when the car is standing1 still, as hereinafter described.

The switching devices, starting and stopping mechanism7 and regulating apparatus, the., are located ina compartment at the front of the car, as shown in Figs. l and 2, where they are within convenient reach of the motor-m an and protected fromthe weather and other in 'ury.

While the currentcollectors, motor, batteries, and switching devices are preferably arranged asj ust described, it will be evident that they may be of any other construction and located in any other desirable manner, according to the requirements of different railways, without in any manner departing` from the spirit of this invention. It will also be understood that when this vinvention is applied to a train of cars each car may be equipped with its own motor and secondary battery, or the motions. (Not shown.)

Referring now to the diagram view Figlll,

which illustrates the general arrangement of circuits and switching devices employed, P

represents the positive line-conductor and N the vnegative line-conductor. p and n are the contact-wheels or other current-collectors by means of which the line-current is conveyed to and from the electro-dynaiiiic motor. From my previous application, Serial No. 189,63l,be fore referred to, it will be understood that th ese current-collectors can be moved with respect to the conductors P and N, so that the car may be driven forward or backward, or its motion arrested, by simply moving the handle H in the motor-mans compartment in the proper direction; but for the present we will suppose that they are constantly in contact with the line-conductors so as to propel the car in a forward direction.

The motor M is preferably shunt-wound and. its field-magnet provided with a number of independent coils m, which are taken to a suitable han d-switch H,by means of which any desired number of ;coils may be included and the strength of the iield thereby increased or diminished; or, instead of employing separate coils, I mayinsert a variable resistance in the field-magnet circuit, as shown in Fig. V, or regulate its strength in any other desirable manner.

B B is the secondary orstorage battery, the two sections of which are connected by means of the switch l), so that they may be connected up or charged and discharged in different ways, if desired.

S, Fig. lll, is an automatic switching-lever, which is pivoted to some fixed part of the car, and is capable of motion in the direction of the length of said car. This lever is weighted at its lower end, so that itwill hang perpendicular whatever be the inclination of the car, and its upper end is provided with a fork within which a movable pin or stop s on a cross-bar s2 normally rests. The cross-bar S2 is of insulating material and unites the two switch-arms S1' and SN, which are pivoted to a suitable switch boa-rd or support S2, and which are respectively in connection with the positive and negative terminals of the motor M. The switch-arms SP and SN are respectively adapted to come in contact with the terminal plates l" 2P3P and lN 2 3Nv when the weighted lever or pend ulum-switch S,whose motion is limited and steadied by springs 33 s3, changes its position with respect to the ear when the latter is ascending or descending a grade, as hereinafter described.

E is an electrdmagnet or double solenoid having two oppositely-wound coils, and whose armature or core c is provided with an insulated extension having two metallic strips el and e5', adapted, when the core e is drawn upward by the spring e2, to make contact between the terminal plates 22 23 and 2O 2l, respectively, as shown in dotted lines.

The operation of the devices just described is as follows: lVhen the car is running on a practically level portion of the track, the pendulum-switch S hangs perpendicularly with respect to the shelf or support S', and

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upward pull of the spring c2.

the switch-arms SP SN are in contact with the terminal plates 2P 2N, respectively, as shown. rlhe current will now iiow from the positive line-conductor l through contact-wheel or collector p and conductor et to plate 2P, thence through switch-arm S1 and conductor 5 to the positive terminal G of the motor M; then by way of the negative terminal 7A over conductor 8, switch-arm SN, plate 2N, conductor t), and contact-wheel n to the negative line-conductor N. The motor M is now receiving current from the line-conductors through the regular supply-circuit, (indicated by the heavy lines,) and will continue doing so as long as the parts remain in this position. Now, when the car, which is supposed to be running in the direction of the arrow if, begins to ascend a grade the pendulum-switch S, by virtue of gravity, will take up such a position with respect to the sheltl S that the switch-arms S1 SN will be moved along the plates 21 2N until they also make contacts with the plates 3P 3N, respectively. 4iVith the switch-arms in this'position, the motor M will still receive its current from the lineconductors through the plates 2P 2N, but in addition will receive a further supply et current from the secondary battery B B, which we will suppose has received an initial charge to begin with. This second supply of current will flow from the terminal of the secondary battery over conductors 10 and 11 to the plate 3P, and from the terminal of battery over conductors 13 and 12 to the plate 3N, thus joining the main-line current iowing through the motor-circuit in the direction of the arrow-heads, and considerably augmenting the power developed by the motor. The battery-current continues to flow through the motor until the caragain comes to a level, whereupon the switching devices return to their normal position.

A portion of the battery-current normally I'lows through the lower portion of the solenoid E, the two coils ot which are preferably of equal resistance and oppositely wound by way ot wires 1a and 15 and energizes it so as to attraet'the core e, as shown, against the An adjustable rheostat R, the object ot' which will hereinafter appear, is preferably placed in this eircuit, and it will be seen that the force with which the core e is attracted is proportional to the potential or strength of current in the battery. The upper coil of the solenoid is similarly connected by wires 17 and 18 with the charging-conductors 16 and 19, that lead from the plates 1P 1N and terminate at 22 and 20, respectively. Now, when the car is running on a downgrade the switch-arms SP SN are automatically moved so as to break connection with the line-conductors P N and establish connection with the charging-conductors 16 and 19. The armature A of the motor is now revolved by the moving car and the motor thereby converted into a generator. The connection with the line-circuit is broken in the new position of the gravity-switch, and as the armature of the motor is geared to the axle of the vehicle it will be rapidly rotated, performing the functions ola generator. \Vhi1e the rotation of the armature is in the same direction as before, the current generated flows through the circuit in the opposite direction, as indicated by the feathered arrows. As the available energy of a car moving on a downgrade in excess of that required to keep it in motion is at iirst somewhat small,

but increases rapidly as the car gains headway, two things are necessary to the proper and satisfactory operation of this system. First, some provision must be made whereby the connection between the secondary battery and the generator is not made until the latter is capable ot developing a current whose strength is slightly in excess of that in the battery, in order to prevent the battery-current from operating' the motor and causing it to propel the 'car downhill. To meet this requirement is one object of the double solenoid, which in this capacity fulfills the functions of a potential switch.7 It will be seen that when the core c is attracted by the lower coil of the solenoid the connection between the terminals 2O 2l and 22 23 is broken. Consequently the first portion ot' the generated current, instead ol tlowing into the secondary battery, is diverted from the charging-conduetors 16 and 19 into the upper coil. ot the solenoid, and as soon as the potential of the generated current equals or exceeds that of the secondary battery it neutralizes the attractive force of the current in the lower coil of the solenoid to such an extentthat the spring' c2 will draw up the core c and establish connection between the charging-conductors 1G19 and the battery-wires 10 13, by means of the bridge-pieces el and eN. The current will now Iiow from the positive brush 6 over conductor 5, switch SV, plate 1V, conductor 1G, bridge-piece c?, conductor 10, through the cells ot' the secondary battery B l5, and return to the negative brush 7 of the generator by way of conductor 13,b1.'idgepiece cN, conductor 10, plate 1N, switch-arm SN, and conductor 8.

\Vhile the accu mulators arevbeing charged, as just described, a portion ot the current will. continue to flow through the two coils of the solenoid E and neutralize their mutual attraction for the core c sufficiently to enable the spring' c2 to preserve the continuity of the charging-circuit. As the resistance of the circuit of the lower coil is, however, slightly in excess of that of the upper coil, owing' to the rhcostat R, it follows that as the charging proceeds and the counter E )l F or resistance of the battery to the charging-current increases, an increased amount ot' current is diverted through the solenoid-coils, of which thelarger portion Hows through the upper coil in virtue of its lower resistance,

and this difference ot' resistance is so adjusted that at such times when the battery IOO ITO

has received a full charge, or when it has been charged to such an extent as may be desired for practical Working, its resistance or opposltion to the charging-current will have become so great that this current will energize the uppercoil against the counter attraction of the lower coil and attract the core c, thus breaking the charging-circuit to the battery. It will thusbe seen that the solenoid E does not only determine the time of admission of the charging-current to the battery bymeans of the potential balance, before described, b ut also cuts out the battery at the proper time to prevent overcharging and places it in a position to again receive the charging-current when it has become partially depleted.

While I have described la particular form of secondary-battery cut-out, I do not wish lto be construed as limiting myself thereto, inasmuch as any form of appliance or apparatus by which the charging-circuit through the said-secondary battery is interrupted when the latter receives the desired charge may prove satisfactory.

When the caris descending a grade, as before stated, its falling energy rapidly increases, and under the usual conditions of working it is lnecessary to apply the brakes in order to prevent the speed of the carfroln becoming excessive. As it is intended in this system to make use of all the available energy of the car or train whenever it is not required by the car or train itself, whether in descending an incline or coming to a stop, some provision must be made for withdrawing this surplus energy without in any manner interfering with the proper working of the car or train itself. This I accomplish by means of the hand-switch H, (see Figs. III and VIIL) by manipulating which the strength of the held-magnets, and consequently their attraction or retarding effect upon `the revolving armature, can be regulated at will. The tieldmagnet circuit is intended to derive its current from the line. The means for shifting the circuit-connections by reciprocating the collecting-wheels, and thereby changing the relative direction of the field-magnet and armature currents, have not been specifically shown. However, any form of commutatingswitch may be adopted for this purpose; but I have deemed it preferable in practice to utilize one form, which will be made the subject-matter of a separate application. It will be understood herein that by the simple reversal of the collecting-wheels by the motorman the relative direction of the current through the field-magnet and armature coils is reversed by that operation. This, then, is what is meant by reversible Then the switch H is moved entirely clear of the terminals h of the field-magnet coils fm, no

' current will be generated by the motor M,

rotating the armature. Then the switch is moved into contact with one of the terminals, a current is caused to circulate in the corresponding .field-coil, a current of small quantity goes into the charging-circuit, and the rotation of the armature is slightly retarded. Vith every additional contact of the switch the strength of field and the amount of current generated by the reversed motor are increased, and a corresponding increase takes place in the retardation of the armature, or, in other words, inthe resistance to the forward motion of the car, until if all the fieldcoils are brought into the circuit this resistance will be increased to such an extent as to practically brake or stop the car, as hereinafter described.

On ordinary railways I prefer to place the switch H under the control of the motor-man, as shown, so that the strength of the field, and consequently the amount of retardation or braking force exerted by the field-magnets on downgrades or the power developed by motor on upgrades, may be varied by him as circumstances may require; but when this system is applied to railways on which comparatively few stops are to be made, or where constant uniformity of speed is a consideration, or when a railway is operated according to the telpherage system-fthat is to say, an electric railway in which the movement of the cars or trains are controlled from one or more fixed operating-stations-then and in such case the field-switch H is preferably connected with the pendulum-switch S in such a man n er that the strength of iield will be automatically variedyaccording as the car or train may happen to ascend or descend an inclined portion of the railway, so that the speed of the car or train will remain practically uniform whether the direct or secondary current, or both, be employed. An arrangement of this kind is shown in Fig. V, which also illustrates a modified form of the automatic switching apparatus. In this figure the strength of the field magnets is regulated by introducing more or less resistance into the field-circuit instead of employing separate coils, though of course the latter zolan may be used with this arrangement, if desired. The arm II is pivotally secured to the 'shaft of the pendulum-switch, and is adapted to make contact with a double series of terminal plates or segments arranged on either side of a cen- IOO tral line and connected in the manner shown.

XVhen the car is running on a level, the arm ll occupies the central position, as 1nldicated, and the resistance in the iield-circuit is at its greatest, as the motor will then not be required to develop its full power. As the car ascends a grade the arm H moves to the right and diminishes the resistance of t-he field-circuit to an extent proportionate to the inclination of the grade, thereby admitting a larger portionof current to the iieldmagnets and increasing the power of the motor, in which it is assisted by the current any desired space ot' time.

from the secondary battery, as before exl rent which has been generated and stored in plained. When the car descends a grade, the arm ll moves to the left and likewise increases the flow of current to the held-magnets, this time, however, for the purpose ot utilizing the generating-power et vthe motor toits greatest extent and at the same time reta-rding the forward motion, so as to keep the speed of the car within proper limits.

It has already been stated that the step or projection s on the cross-bar s2 is pivot-ed so that it can readily be thrown into or out of engagement with the forked end of the pendulum-switch S. This pin is shown clearlyin detail in Fig. IX. lVhen it is desired to slow down or stop the car, say, on a level track, the stop s is lifted out of its fork, and the switch-arms SP SN moved to the terminal plates l1 1N. This action will eut ott' the connection between the motor M and the trackconducters and establish the connection between it and the chargiiig-conductors l0 and l0, as already specified. The momentum of the car or train can now be transformed into electrical energy delivered into the secondary battery by means of the switch 11i, as be fore described, which may be operated to slow down and stop the car cr train within inasmuch, however, as the ietarding influence et the lieldmagnet upon the revolving` armature is greatest when the armature revolves fastest, and decreases rapidly as the speed of the ear, and consequently that of the armaturc,'di minishcs, it will be necessary, when quick stoppages are desired, to make use of additional brake devices to fully stop the car or train afterits speed has thus been brought under control. This may be accomplished in various ways, but I prefer to employ for this purpose the method set forth in another application, Iiled by me on November i, 1S85, Serial No. 181,808. lVhen this method is employed, the cars are provided with electromagnetic brake devices, preferably of the kind set forth in my said application, though any other goed construction will answer, and a current from the secondary battery is admitted gradually to the said brake devices by means of a suitable circuit. closing or transmitting apparatusunder the cont-rol of the motor-man. This supplementary brake-circuit is shown diagrammatieally in the present drawings, Fig. HI, at X, leading from the main workin g-circuit lV of the seconda-ry battery. X is the circuit-closing apparatus, and

ir represent the electro-magnetic brake devices.

After the car has been stopped, as above described, and it is desired to start it again the switch-arms Sl SN are moved from 1,1 1N to the plates 21 2N, where they are allowed to rest a moment while the motor begins to revolve, and then are temporarily moved into the position occupied by them in going uphill-that is, bridging the space between the plates 2P 3l and 2N 3N, respectively. The curthc battery during the process of stopping the caris new again given out by the battery, in the manner already specified, to re-enforce the main-line current in overcoming the inertia of the car and in bringing it rapidly under full headway, upon arriving at which the stop s' may be again placed in the fork an d the car allowed to continue its way. Thus it will be seen that the greater part of the energy taken from the car or train in stopping is again restored to it in starting, and in like manner the power given out. by the caror train in descending an incline is stored up in the accumulatiiig-battery and given back to the train when it is most required, viz: in ascending an incline. Practically, then, it will be apparent that, as on a round trip the total upgrades and downgradcs and the total number of startin gs and stoppages counterhalance each other, the total amount of current that need be provided at the generating station or stations for operating the line will, allowing for losses in conversion and transformation, be but thirty or thirtytive per cent. more than that required te keep the cars or trains running on a level, as against an expenditure of, in many instances, several. hundred per cent. on similar roads as at present operated, and the more numerous and steeper the grades the more economical will be the cost of operating by this system as compared'with that of any other system now in use.

lt may sometimes occur that the current in the accuinitiating-battery is drawn upon toa greater extent than it can be supplied bythe motor during an ordinary run over the road, and some provision should therefore bemade for replenishing the charge in the battery independently of the motor. Especially is this necessary when the secondary battery is employed to furnish electrical current for other purposes, as shown, for example, in Fig. Ill of the present drawings, in which the batterycurrent isalso utilized for lighting the car by supplying' current to the electric lamps Z, located in the sub-circuit L, and for operating the brake devices t in the sub-circuit X, as before described. lVith this object in view I have provided a supplemental switch s, which can be operated to connect the secondary battery with the line-conductors at such times when the car is standing or the motor does not require the track-current. In the present instance the connection with the lineconductors is made by electrically connecting the terminal plates 2" 3" and 2N 3N, respectively, by means of the switch s, the switcharms S1 SN meanwhile occupying the insulated space betwecn plates 1N 2N and 11'2,

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though any other suitable switching arrangement may be employed as well. It will be understood that at such times when the battery is connected with the line-conductors its potential is less than that of the line, so that it will rea'dily receive the charge, and as soon as it has become properly charged it will be cut out by the solenoid E inthe manner previously specified, upon which the switch s is to be restored to its normal position.

With all the cells of the secondary battery connected in multiple arc, as shown, the battery will give a large current with comparatively low electro-motive force,and will offer a correspondingly-low resistance to the chargin g-curren t. It may, however, be desirable to change this arrangement somewhatin practice to meet the various demands made upon the battery, so that while still being capable of receiving a charge at. a comparatively-low electrical pressure, in order to utilize the smallest as well as thelargest Vamount of cu rrent that is generated by the motor, it will at the same time be in a position to return this energy when it is wanted at a higher electrical pressure or at several different pressures when so required-as, for instance, a different pressure each for operatin g the brakes, for running the motor, and for supplying the lamps. It is obvious that this may be accomplished by arranging the battery-cells so that they maybe charged and discharged in the desired manner, and making the various changes either manually lor automatically by means of a suitable commutator-switch. I have not shown this feature in the present application, as such an arrangement of switching devices will form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent.

Fig. IV illustrates on a larger scale a modification of the switch-board shown in the diagram view Fig. III, in which the terminal plates or segments are each subdivided into a number of smaller segments, which in turn are connected to a series of binding-posts, as shown- The object of this construction will be readily understood in connection with the foregoing description. The segments Aof group 3N and 3P are each connected to a portion of the secondary battery, in order that the increase of current flowing to the motor from the battery will be gradual and more nearly in proportion to that required by itin starting or in ascending any given grade. In

the same manner a suitable resistance is interposed between each of the segments of group 2N and 2P, so that the resistance of the motor-circuit will be automatically varied according to the inclination of the pendulumswitch, in order that the amount of track-current flowing to the motor may be automatically regulated and adjusted to suit the varying demands .occasioned by the changes in grade. Theindividual segments of t-heterminal plates IN and IP, respectively, may be connected together when the solenoid E is employed in the manner before described; but under certain circumstances they may be connected with portions or sections of the secondary battery in the same manner as the segments 3N and 3P, so that the section of battery that is first to discharge through and 3P will be the first to receive a charge through -IN and Il), and thereby substantially preserve an equal charge in all the sections ot' the sccondary battery. I have not shown the battery-connections in the present drawings, as these may be varied to suit different. requirements, and will be readily understood by any practical electrician.

Although I have been particular in describing automatic switching devices for changing the circuits and graduating the flow of current according to the varying inclinations of the roadway upon which the car or train is traveling, it will be clear that this may be done manually, if desired, by simply moving the switch-arms in the required direction by means of the projecting stud S,'Fig. IV. On ordinaiy street-surface railways, where the stops are very frequent, this may be found more advisable; but on railways in which the stoppages occur less frequently, and especially on those in which the gradients are well defined, I prefer to operate t-he switching' and regulating devices automatically, as already described, on account of the greater uniformity in the result-s gained and less attention f required on the part of the motor-man. I do not, however, limit myself to the particular kind of automatic switching devices and circuit-connections already described, but may use other forms ofswitchin g apparatus-s uch, for example, as the types represented in Figs. V and VI. Of these Fig. V shows a modification of the pendulum-switch, in which the switch-arms SN and SP and the field-regulating switch H are combined with the pendulum and move about its pivot as a center.

The pendulum S is locked to an arbor secured to the arms SN S1 during the normal operation of the switch 1I by means of the pivoted locking-pin 7L?. \Vhen, however, it is desired to operate the switch II by hand, the pin h2 is elevated, thereby allowing the pendulum to rock upon its arbor, and thus the switch H can, in this instance, be adjusted by hand without affecting the motor-connections.

Fig. VI illustrates a form of liquid-switch depending for its action upon the difference in the amount of liquid in the receiving-chainbers at its extremities due to the inclination of the car. This switch apparatus is supported on a central pivot, and operates electrically in the same manner as the pendulumswitch in Fig. V. However, the other moditications shown in before-mentioned figures will not be further described, as all forms of these automatic switches are to be reserved for 'further applications, as will appear hereinafter, and are merely illustrated in ,connection with the form utilized in the diagrammatic View.

In Fig. III of the present drawings I have shown the motor provided with but a single pair of brushes, which are all that is necessary for running the motor forward or backward when the railway is operated as de scribed in my application Serial No. 189,631, before referred to. I may, however, employa IOO double set of brushes, it' desired, and change the direction of current flowing through the armature or held-magnets in any other desirable manner for converting the motor into a generator and for runningl forward or backward, or may use aspecial lorm ot motor difterent from that described and specially adapted to the requirements ot operating the car or train, as herein described.

The several forms of gravity-switch illustrated in Figs. III, V, YI, Vllf, and YH, the switch shown in Fig. IV, and the potential cut-out in Fig. III are not to be speeilically claimed herein, but are reserved for future application, which will be tiled subsequently.

Vtfhat I claim isl. In an electric railway, the combination of line-conductors, a suitable generator for supplying current to said conductors, a travcling electric motor, an auxiliary generator, and an automatic switch controlled to eorrespend with the inclination of road-bed to conneet and disconnect said auxiliary generator with the said motor, substantially as specihed.

2. The method of operating an electricallypropelled vehicle or train, which consists in supplying motive-current "from a line to an electric motor, said current being of snt'- cient strength to operate 'the vehicle on substantially-level portions of the line, converting the said motor into a generator when the said vehicle or train is on a downgrade or slowing down, storing the electrical energy so developed into secondary or storage batteries, and utilizing the energy thus stored for reenforcing the line-current when an abnormal amount of current is required, substantially as specified.

3. The method of operatii'ig a vehicle or train, which consists in supplying the propelling electric-motor with motive-current, re-enforcing said motive-current, when the vehicle is starting, with an additional supply of current from a generator located upon said vehicle or train, continuing said re-entoreement until the said vehicle or train has acquired the desired momentum, and cutting out the re-enforcing current, substantially as specified.

4. The method of operating an electricallypropelled vehicle or train, which consists in converting the propelling electric motor into a braking-generator adapted to be so operated by the momentum of the vehicle or train when slowing downor coming to a stop, storing the generated electrical energy in a secondary battery carried by said vehicle or train, and employing the energy thus stored, or a portion thereof, to assist or augment the propelling force in starting, and imparting the desired momentum to the vehicle or train by discharging such stored energy into the propelling-motor contemporaneously with the primary motive-current, and at substantially the same electro-motive force, substantially as specified.

o. The method of operatiugau electricallypropelled vehicle or train, which consists in driving the same on substantially level portions ol the road-bed or line by a line-eurreut, converting the said motoriuto a gener ator when the vehicle is ou downgrades or slowing down, utilizing the mechanical energy so expended on downgrades or when slowing down for producing a generation et' current, storing the current thus generated in a secondary battery, and utilizing such stored energy to operate electro mechanical brakes located upon said vehicle or train, so as to completely arrest the motion of the latter, substantially as specified.

(i. The method of storing the waste electrical energy of the electrically-propelled vehicle or train, which consists in supplying the propelling electric motor with current from a line, converting the said electric motor into a generator of electricity, operating the said generator by the momentum ot' the vehicle or train, disconnecting the motor from the-line-supply, and Aconnecting it with the circuit of a storage-battery, substantially as speciiied.

7. The method of storing up the Waste euergy of an electrically-propelled vehicle or train, which consists in supplying the propelling electric motor with current from a line, converting the driving electric motor into a generator of electricity on downgrades or when slowing down, operating the generator by the momentum `of the vehicle or train, disconnecting the generator from its line-supply, connecting it with the circuit of a storage-battery, and varying the strength of the current so generated and its braking capacity by increasing the tield magnet strength, substantially as specified.

S. The combination, with au electric circuit, oi' a circuit-controlling lever pivoted to han vertically, mounted upon a traveling vehicle and operated by and in accordance with the inclination ot the line of way over which the vehicle travels, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with a dynamo-electric generator mounted upon a traveling vehicle, having a circuit-controlling` mechanism included in the circuit of the field-magnet coils, of a pend ultim-lever controlling said mechanism by and in accordance with the inclination of the line of way over which the vehicle travels, substantially as described.

l0. The method ot' operating an electricallypropelled vehicle or train, which consists in propelling said vehicle or train normally by an electric motor supplied with current from a line, gradually cutting in a storage-battery carried by a vehicle into the charging-circuit in a degree proportional to the inclination ol' the road-bed on downgrades, charging said battery through the circuit thus gradually made, and conducting the stored energy into the linopelling-motor when on upgrades or when starting, substantially as speciiied.

l1. In an electric railway, the coml'iination roo' ITO

of a line-circuit, a traveling vehicle or train, a propelling electric motor and a storage-battery carried upon said vehicle or train, and a switching device controlled and operated to correspond with the inclination ot' the gradients of the line of way, whereby the line and battery may be connected in multiple arc with the motor, substantially as specified.

v12. In an electric railway, the combination of a line-circuit, a traveling vehicle or train, a propelling electric motor and a storage-battery carried upon said vehicle or train, a switch in the field-magnet circuit of the niotor, means for gradually varying the currentstrength in said circuit on downgrades or when slowing down, and a switch for cutting the motor out of the line-circuit and in circuit with a storage-battery on downgrades, substantially as specified.

18. In an electric railway, the combination of a line-circuit, a traveling vehicle or train, a propelling electric motor and storage-battery carried by said train, a gravity-switch operated to correspond with the gradients along the line, switch-contacts and circuitconnections with the line-supply conductors, lnotor and storagelbattery, and a variable resistance in the eld-inagnet circuit of the motor, controlled by a switch, whereby the motor may be converted into a generator on downgrades for charging the battery and the battery and line currents both may be cut in on upgrades.

14. In an electric railway, the combination of a line-circuit, a traveling vehicle or train, apropelling electric motor and storage-battery carried by said train, a gravity-switch operated to correspond with the gradients along the line, switch-contacts and circuitconnections with the line-supply conductors, motor and storage-battery to connect the battery and line in multiplearc with the motor on upgrades and the battery and motor iu circuit with each' other on downgrades, a variable resistance in the field-magnet circuit of the motor operated by said gravity-switch, whereby the motor may be converted into a generator on downgrades, and a potential switch controlled by a branch of the batterycircuit to out said battery in or out of circuit, according to the condition of its charge, substantially as specified.

15. In an electric railway, the combination of line-conductors, an electrically-propelled vehicle, a motor and storage-battery carried thereon, a switch for connecting either the motor or battery into the line-circuit, a potential switch in a branch of the battery-circuit to out said battery in or out of circuit, according to the condition of its charge, suitable translating devices in another branch circuit from said battery, and a switch for cont-rolling said translating devices, substantially as speciiied.

1G. The combination, with a dynamo-electric generator mounted upon a traveling vehicle and having circuit-closing mechanism in its field-magnet circuit, of a weighted pivoted lever automatically controlling said iieldmagnet circuit and arranged to be operated by gravity, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of June, A. D. 1886.

ELIAS E. RIES.

Witnesses:

LEOPOLD Rius, ALBERT IT. HENDERSON. 

